"Captain Lockhart! Our underwater sensor is detecting the movement of multiple bodies heading our way. Shall I prepare the-" A ring tone goes off, interrupting the soldier that is monitoring activity on the sea. He sees Crowley's contact come up. He is about to let it ring, but notices there was a message beforehand.

It makes him suspicious, so he answers. "Thomas Lockhart, you call down those soldiers right now. The merfolk are helping us get to shore." Thomas doesn't get a chance to say anything before Caroline speaks up. Thomas is about to speak up before the line cuts out.

Thomas rushes to the building wide speaker. "Stand down, soldiers. It is my wife, aid them onto shore!" He orders before rushing out to the merfolk docks.

"The potion is about to run out. I recommend that you three start swimming up to the surface." Calliope says to the trio. The group releases the shoulders of the merfolk that were taking them back to Artemia. They thank them before swimming back up to the surface as they feel the shift in their lungs happening.

They swim up to the surface, holding onto the raft. Caroline jumps as she hears the trio catching their breath. She looks between them looking for Dean.

"Ah, how are things up here? Looks like it's almost sunset." Dean smiles at his aunt. Caroline smiles at Dean as she moves the shade that protects her and Crowley from the harsh rays of the sun.

"It was fine. I just can't wait to shower and lie down in my own bed." Caroline brushes back Dean's hair to look at his face better. He smiles, and he starts to help tug the raft.

Diana pushes the raft from behind as she checks in on Crowley, who is completely asleep. "Rest up, Crowley. Thank you for trying to make this all up." Diana whispers softly to him. His frown relaxes as he continues to sleep.

The group take the rest of the way to the shore while the merfolk hang back now that they've reached their destination. The soldiers approach the water and help pull the raft and pull out the three swimmers.

"Care!" Thomas gets his shoes wet as he rushes in to meet up the raft. A soldier moves aside so Thomas can help Caroline up. She takes his larger hands and climbs out. Thomas looks like he's about ready to hug her, but Caroline had made it clear to him that she doesn't like public displays of affection. He already realized he used part of her love name that he is only allowed to use in the home.

Caroline pulls her hands away from Thomas before hugging her husband. She had never felt so much relief to see him again until now. Thomas is quick in hugging her back. He runs his hand up and down her long blonde hair.

"We're finally back." Dean says as he walks up to Caroline and Thomas. The older man looks to his soaking wet nephew. He reaches out and pulls him into a hug as well. Caroline smiles and also puts an arm around Dean.

"Welcome home, Caroline, Dean." Thomas says kindly.

Soldiers rush out with a stretcher to place Crowley on it. Kiara explains most of the situation as to how Crowley ended up unconscious. They note he is fine but are going to take him to a military hospital to get a better check.

"Please let me come with him." Diana says as she follows the soldiers that get Crowley onto the stretcher.

"Are you family?" One of the questions her. Diana looks at them, she wants to lie, but also knows that Crowley is famous. People are aware that he has no family. Be that biological or being married to someone.

"No... but-"

"Then you may not come." They respond to her. Diana looks down sadly at Crowley. Kiara walks up beside her and holds out her officer badge.

"Flat-Topped Acacia would like to question these two, so I'd like to keep them together under our custody. This is an order from Captain Brown, whom I have contacted." Kiara holds up Crowley's phone she took from his pocket after Caroline finished using it.

"Yes, that's right. I will send out an EMS vehicle and will bring them to Flat-Topped Military Hospital." The group hear his nasal voice. Diana frowns a bit, but she also feels there is something off about the voice. The other soldiers don't seem to notice and agree to have Crowley, Diana, and Kiara transported to Flat-Topped Military Hospital. Diana looks at Kiara gratefully, and they start to head out. Diana looks back over and waves at Dean to try and get his attention. He looks past his uncle and waves back.

"Okay, Uncle, we need to get Aunt Caroline to a doctor! Ah -" He pauses as he's about to spill the surprise. Caroline sighs and shakes her head.

"What do you mean?! Do you feel unwell?!" Thomas questions concerned as he looks at his disheveled wife. Caroline puts a finger to his lips to get him to quiet down and listen.

"I won't disagree with Dean, but it's not as much for me as it is for this little girl in here." Caroline smiles and puts a hand to where her womb is. Thomas's heart leaps before he picks up Caroline, making her yelp in surprise. He rushes away barking orders to get an exclusive vehicle to get Caroline to the hospital. Dean stays behind to get in contact with his parents. He is sure that they're going to be furious. Not only them, but his friends he hasn't seen in what feels like forever.

The soldiers of Swollen-Thorn Acacia get Dean some dry clothes and allow him to shower as he waits for his parents to arrive at the military base. They have him wait in Thomas's office. He starts to hear a commotion outside the office. He gets up from the chair and manages to wake himself up after nearly falling asleep.

Dean tries to go open the door, but it ends up getting pushed open by Rosemary. "Dean! My sweet boy!" She runs over and holds her son tightly. She cries so openly as Dean hugs her back. Behind her also runs in Mary, Chelsea, and Lori.

"Where have you been?!" The four of them yell at him. Dean jumps and laughs nervously. He steps back and looks to the side.

"It's a really long story -"

"Make it short!" Mary demands. Dean sighs and smiles.

"Well, I went to go rescue Aunt Caroline from the Ghoul Master's lair. I went with Crowley, an officer from Flat-Topped Acacia, and Diana. We're all back now, and everyone is getting checked out after these last few days. Sorry I didn't say anything, but everything happened so fast when we found out where Aunt Caroline was." He avoids the important details.

"Well, where's Diana?! Why isn't she with you?!" Chelsea questions concerned.

"She went to keep Crowley company at the hospital. After all that's happened, no one deserves to be on their own when they wake up." Dean smiles as he looks at the distraught women.

"What happened out there?" Mary questions, trying to keep her cool. She is upset that Dean went off on a rescue mission with Diana. She had not heard back from Serena either to figure out what was happening. Or if she would even help Dean, who had gone missing for days.

"I don't even know where to start, but I'm sorry... I'm so exhausted now. I could just sleep for days." Dean feels weary all the way to his bones. After being on high alert in a high stress environment for days, he's ready to collapse finally. Rosemary hugs her son again.

"We can discuss things later. You need to rest, and I'm so glad Caroline is safe and sound." Rosemary smiles. They all look to the door as it opens again. Chandler walks in to see how Dean is doing. Dean looks at him and frowns. He remembers all the things he wants to talk about with his father. For Diana's sake, he will get answers in order to give her peace of mind.

"Chandler, look, our son is home! He is safe and sound! He helped rescue Caroline. We are definitely owed an explanation after he gets some rest. My baby looks so tired." Rosemary worriedly touches Dean's cheek to look at his tired expression. Dean grabs her hand gently and sets it down.

"I'm good, mom. A good night's sleep should be enough. I absolutely have a lot to talk about with you, dad." Dean's soft gaze hardens as he looks towards his father. Chandler frowns, curious as to what Dean could have to say to him with that expression. "Sorry you three, I know I owe you all an explanation. Can we save it for tomorrow? Please? I want all of us to get together calmly."

The trio of friends look to Dean and nod. Their worries are not completely eased, but they're glad to see that Dean is alive and well after being gone without a word for days. "Alright, well, we are so glad you're back. Both you and Diana. I wanted to see her too, but it looks like she's not here. I hope we can see her tomorrow." Chelsea says calmly for the two young women that look like they want to protest. Especially Mary.

"Yeah, don't worry, I'll talk about everything. I'm so glad to see you three again." Dean walks over to his friends and hugs them. The three women hug him back. Exchanging reluctant farewells before Dean goes back over towards his parents. Rosemary holds onto his arm and checks on his condition quite often. Dean reassures her multiple times that he is well.

"I'm glad you're home, son. Lets go-" Dean shrugs off Chandler's hand that went to his shoulder. Dean gives him a side glare. He has found something new to be upset about with his father. Not for himself, but this time for Diana and Crowley.

Chandler lowers his hand and looks after Dean as he walks ahead with his mother. He grows curious into what kind of things Dean is getting into. After high level soldiers could not find any trace of Caroline, he was able to get a group together to go rescue her. In fact, the most aloof man ended up joining on the rescue mission. Crowley, who doesn't seem to hold the founding families favorably, was there. The only reason he heard Crowley's name was from passing conversations he heard from the Swollen-Thorn Acacia soldiers.

"There is only one person who can give me answers, and that is Caroline herself." Chandler grabs his phone to figure out where Caroline was taken. He had not seen any sign of Thomas when he came over with his wife and Dean's friends.

~0~

"Stevens, thanks a lot for coming." Kiara looks at her partner as he climbs out of the military vehicle. He walks up to her and hugs her.

"Kiara..." Diana blushes and looks to the side, feeling like she shouldn't intrude on this moment. Kiara turns red from the hug and also because she is in front of Diana and other soldiers that were helping to get Crowley's stretcher into the back.

"Uh... Stevens?" Kiara finally finds her voice and clears her throat. Officer Stevens backs up and looks her up and down. "Um..." Kiara tries to say something else, but nothing comes up. Officer Stevens nods and closes the back once Diana climbs in behind Crowley's stretcher. Kiara and Officer Stevens go up to the front and passenger seat respectively and head out of the Swollen-Thorn military base.

"So, where to, actually?" Officer Stevens questions as he slows down, changing directions. Kiara clears her throat and glances back through the small window to look in on Diana and Crowley. Diana looks over and makes her way over to the window to listen in on the conversation.

"Okay, can you just pull off to the side, please, Stevens?" Kiara says as she tries to figure things out. "Before anything, this is Diana Green. Diana, this is my partner at the station, Mateo Stevens." Kiara introduces the two of them.

"Oh, hi there, Officer." Diana says, unsure of how to take any of this. She really doesn't want to face Captain Brown. Yet, she also knows there's going to be a lot of questions from everyone about how things went down. Or even how they got the information in the first place while no one in the military was able to get any initial clues about Caroline's whereabouts.

"Hello, there. Kiara, why did you call me to pretend to be Captain Brown? You know he will have a lot of questions for you. You were gone for days without word to anyone. Do you know how worried I was?!" Mateo turns back to Kiara. She looks at him apologetically. "You could have told me... you know I always have your back..." His gaze is hurt that Kiara was unable to trust him with something this big.

"I'm sorry, everything happened so fast when I found out what was going on. I didn't have time for anything, and for the sake of not having a huge group of military personnel in Amon's lair. A small group was enough." Kiara doesn't know how much to say as she doesn't want to give Crowley away right now.

"How?! I get that Lord Crowley is strong, but this girl looks barely twenty. She is a student, isn't she? What kind of team is that?" Mateo questions, his training picking at the half truths that Kiara is telling him. He knows that there's a lot more to the story. Kiara becomes frustrated as she knows he can tell these things. They've been working together for years, so they can also tell when one or the other is acting out of character.

"It wasn't her idea. I'm the one who called her up because we needed her. We didn't explain anything to her until we were pretty much on our way out. She followed along due to her strong sense of justice to save Lady Caroline and fulfill her duties. I get it, we're being really weird about saying how we even found out this information... for the good of Artemia, we can't say right now. It's too dangerous after we angered Amon Bedivere. We need to be united as we don't know when he will be free to strike at us in our own home." Diana speaks up in order to keep from Kiara having to keep further secrets from her partner. In spite of sounding upset, he went out of his way to pretend to be Captain Brown on the phone and now is driving them to anywhere else but Flat-Topped Acacia military base.

Mateo looks at Diana and then back at Kiara. Her brow is furrowed as she continues to look at him apologetically. He sighs and nods.

"We can talk about it later. Right now, we need to take him to a hospital." Kiara reminds Mateo about Crowley sleeping in the back. Diana looks back at him. He is unmoved by any noise.

"Our doctor is at the Koa Acacia military base. Captain Amory." Diana informs the pair. They frown and look at each other confused.

"Pardon? You get medical exams with the magically trained scientists? How odd..." Kiara mutters confused. Mateo nods in agreement but makes his way over to the building on the other side. Diana looks at the back door to find the latch to unlock it from the inside on the journey there.

"Wait here, I'm going to check if Captain Amory is here." Kiara steps out and goes to the guards up front to explain the situation.

"I won't tell if she asks me to." Mateo mentions once she's out. Diana goes back to the window.

"You really are a good partner to Kiara... I mean Officer Pancheri. I'm sure she wants to tell you, but this situation is just really complicated. It's not easy to talk about. Because we have to protect someone." Diana is apologetic as she responds to him. She looks back over at Crowley as he sleeps.

Mateo is unable to respond as the door is opened by the two guards. Diana looks over and sees Kiara standing next to Suika as they watch the two guards get Crowley's stretcher out. Diana follows him out as they stop before Suika.

"Well, Officer, leave these two to us. We know their care very well." Suika looks energetic, unlike the last time. She still has dark circles under her eyes and is disheveled. Diana clears her throat as she remembers leaving this building days ago without warning.

"Alright, then we leave them to you for now, Captain Amory." Kiara puts her right hand over her heart and bows her head. Suika motions with her head to the guards to push Crowley's stretcher along.

"Thanks for bringing us here, Officer Pancheri. Excuse me." Diana bows her head and puts her own hand over her heart before she goes after Crowley. Suika waves lazily as she follows them into the building.

"Alright, follow me..." Suika orders and starts to walk ahead. The guards stop and look at each other and then back at Suika.

"Captain, that's the closet..." One of them mentions. Suika squints and then turns towards the correct door.

"Label that door better." She mutters before using her key card to open the door.

Diana looks around as she's brought back here. Nothing has changed from the sterile hallway. It unnervers her once again, and she feels reassured as she walks closer to Crowley's stretcher.

"On his first day as a leader, and he goes missing for days with you. What were you two naughty children up to?" Suika mentions as she pulls out some candy from her pockets. She holds it up to Diana, but she declines.

"Um, it's been a long couple of days, and I'm exhausted. Sorry, I'm not done processing all this craziness either." Diana wonders if she has dark circles as well that rival Suika's.

"Alright, we'll get the cot out. Or are you not staying?" Suika questions her. Diana looks ahead at Crowley. There's a lot to process, and she really doesn't want to do it alone.

"Um, I'll stay." Diana agrees. Suika stops by the room they used last time and opens the door.

"Wait here while I check over Crowley." Suika orders Diana. She pauses, hesitating to leave the only familiar person she has. Diana can tell no one is going to let her continue to follow after Crowley, so she reluctantly enters the room. She jumps as the door closes behind her.

"Keep moving." Suika orders, and the guards push Crowley along to an elevator. Suika motions them away before using her key card to go all the way to their underground lab that only she and one other have access to.

Suika grunts and struggles momentarily to get the stretcher out of the elevator. She clicks her tongue and pulls out her wand, helping her get an extra push to get it out. Now, she is able to push it the rest of the way.

"I have someone for you to check." Suika barges into the lab across from hers. A slew of curses escapes the person who was trying to pour some chemicals carefully together. He barely saves it.

"Could you not barge into... what's this? The missing leader returns, does he?" Vincent's furious expression quickly became one of intrigue when he turned to face the young woman. He walks over to the stretcher to get a look at Crowley.

"The gist of the story is he used up all his magic and drained all his strength. So, right now, he's recovering and building up his magic. KA-001 and KA-002 had indeed gone off to do some adventures." Suika holds up her wand, allowing the transparent tip to light up. She directs it to Crowley's eye, opening it with her free hand. "What color are his eyes?"

"They're blue... hold on a minute, why are they so pale now? Like they lost their color." Vincent observes what Suika is trying to show. Suika also looks.

"Oh... is that what it's supposed to be? I was just asking." Vincent frowns, having had believed that Suika may have been onto something on purpose. She moves her hand, shaking it until the light goes out.

"Even so, something is changing. The results of their exams show biological changes happening in their bodies. Normal people's eyes don't change from one day to another. Their DNA is also not the same as it was with last year's check-up." Vincent mostly says this to himself. Suika smiles in an interested way as she leans down to look down at Crowley's face.

"I think whatever is happening... these two are becoming something beyond human. I think we need to see what changes occurred in them while they were gone. Did you know they helped bring back Caroline Acacia?" Suika brings up a point she purposely kept hidden when initially bringing up Crowley's condition.

Vincent looks up at her and then rushes to his phone to see missing calls and messages. He looks them over and notices that word has gotten out to the higher ups that Caroline is safe and sound. She was taken to the Flowering Acacia military hospital.

"Why didn't you say so sooner?!" Vincent yells out at the younger woman. Suika pokes at Crowley's cheek and hums disinterestedly.

"It didn't seem important." Suika says quietly. Vincent shakes his head and takes off his labcoat to put on his black suit jacket.

"It is important to my job. Now get out of my lab and take KA-001 to KA-002." Vincent says, annoyed before heading out. Suika waves her fingers at him before looking back down at Crowley.

"I'm sure that's exactly what you felt when you allowed Caroline Acacia to be taken in the first place." Suika reaches into her pocket and pulls up a voice recorder. She pushes the single button on it, and it plays the last conversation shared between Diana and Crowley when they were left alone in the recovery room. The same one Diana was left in.

Suika hums pleased as she listens to Crowley tell Diana what happened with Caroline. How he waited hours to let anyone know or act upon the information he had as soon as Caroline was taken.

"So, I suppose if you want to keep this secret in order to keep staying by Diana Green's side, you'll have to do as I ask. I mean, if Diana hasn't reported you, that would also make her your accomplice." Suika grunts and then smiles as a weak hand tries to grip her neck.

Crowely glares at her, not having the strength to press his hand harder. Suika reaches up to hold his wrist. A light squeeze makes the hand go limp.

"Now, now, I don't care about making you do anything nefarious. I don't have any grand plans. I just want to study your bodies. I want to know what you two are. Where you come from." Suika's eyes brighten at the thought of being the first one in making a grand discovery of either a new species or extinct species.

"No... use me... not Diana." Crowley says weakly. Suika sets his arm down across his chest.

"You would drop some jaws with how caring and considerate you're being over someone else. I'm sure you know that you have the worst reputation socially. That's okay, so do I. But you see, this will be our secret as you're not my lab rat. I'll be snatching you up." Crowley continues to glare at Suika and her selfish nonsense.

"Whatever... don't touch Diana." He says again. Suika smiles and nods.

"But I am still doing her annual health checkups. You know, to keep her healthy." He knows that he will have to settle for that. He clicks his tongue and nods. He turns his gaze back to the ceiling. Suika hums satisfied before pushing Crowley back to the elevator and towards the room where Diana waits. He falls asleep on the way there.

~0~
"Mmm, darling, where are you going?" Rosemary yawns as she feels the weight shift on her bed. Chandler finishes getting on his shoes as he looks back at his wife.

"It was late yesterday to see Caroline, so I'm going today. Are you coming?" Chandler questions as he leans in to kiss her cheek.

"Yes, yes, I'm coming..." The half asleep woman manages to sit up and get out of bed. Her brain is still trying to wake up, but she also knows how to get ready from muscle memory alone. "Let Dean sleep for now."

"That's fine." Chandler agrees as he waits for his wife to finish getting ready. Once she is done, they head out to the idling vehicle out in front of their home. They both get into the backseat and are driven all the way to Flowering Acacia military hospital.

Due to his new position, he was allowed in before visiting hours. Rosemary and Chandler head up to the recovery wing to where they put Caroline in.

They knock at the door. Thomas opens the door and greets the two of them before letting them in. "Caroline has been up for a while now. So, I'm sure she'd be happy to see you both.

"Caroline! Oh, you're alright!" Rosemary is the first to rush in and goes to throw herself at her. Thomas panics and stops Rosemary. She pauses and looks back at him, confused.

"Gentle, my body aches." Caroline lies. Thomas nods and releases Rosemary so she can carefully hug Caroline.

"I'm so glad you're alright! I was so worried I wouldn't see you again! Dean would have been so devastated... I suppose that's why he went after you. You're like a second mother to him, after all." Rosemary smiles as she looks at Caroline's surprised expression. She returns the smile.

"Wha, you look so precious and beautiful! I can't believe I get to see you like this!" Rosemary exclaims as she holds Caroline's face. Caroline starts to fuss as Rosemary starts to dote on her.

"Rosemary! Stop it! I'm in my forties!" Caroline tries to free herself as the woman laughingly keeps up hugging her and kissing her cheeks. Rosemary knows she could push her away if Caroline was truly against it. Rosemary has known Caroline since she was a teenager, so she's doted on her since getting together with Chandler when she was in her early twenties.

"Is she doing well?" Chandler questions Thomas a little more privately as the two women get lost in their own interactions. Thomas straightens up and turns part of his body towards Chandler.

"Yes, physically, she is well. She still hasn't told me what happened, though. Well, I hope you're able to get the story out of her now that she's had some rest." Thomas mentions worriedly. The two of them look over towards Rosemary. Chandler nods in agreement.

"Rosemary, could I ask that you come over and help me pick out clothes for Caroline? I haven't gone home to do that. I should get out of my uniform as well." Thomas walks over to the two women. Rosemary looks up from talking with Caroline and nods.

"Of course! Okay, I'll be back in a bit with some of your clothes. You take care." Rosemary smiles gently at Caroline. She nods her head and watches as her husband and sister-in-law leave.

"They're gone now. Care to explain what all has happened?" Chandler questions as he grabs a chair to sit by the bed. Caroline looks to her brother and feels the tension return as she is forced to think about the days she was gone.

"I made a mistake in my hiring. The woman I had hired for our vacant position for the goblin bride rehabilitation program was, in fact, a goblin bride. She was under the order of Amon Bedivere to bring me to him. Oh my goodness! The Holy Horn! He knows where it is! I need to check its location!" Caroline pulls off the sheets on her legs. Chandler keeps her down on the bed.

"Easy, you have to fully recover and be discharged by the doctor." Chandler says calmly. Caroline shakes her head and tries to get up against his hold.

"No, Chandler! Amon isn't the only one who knows. Ilyas Ithamar is also aware! I don't know for how long or when it happened, but he had a spirit within my body! Please!" Caroline urges her brother. Now Chandler is concerned that two of the Three Generals know the location of one of their Holy Weapons.

"Alright, alright, I'll take you. Where is the location?" Chandler questions her. Caroline shakes her head.

"You know that only one person should know that information. Especially since we don't have a wielder for the Holy Horn. Hold on, I think I have an idea. In the meantime, tell me, have there been strange happenings at Acacia Academy?" Caroline forcibly changes the subject.

"It's been a drastic change going from regular school life to preparing all the young adults for battle. Of course, it's stressful, so we are trying to maintain some things as they were before. We would still like to maintain the Branching Exams to find those students who can better our chances of winning this war. Then for the new recruits from Vachellia Nilotica have their year trip to the Dragul Museum after the exams. Can we maintain that?" Chandler explains to Caroline. Caroline nods, and that gives her an answer that nothing has happened at the school itself. She still would feel better assured if she could see the Holy Horn in its place.

"I agree, these young people do deserve some peace of mind. It's a scary time, and anything can happen. What happened to myself most definitely would have shaken anyone. We have to give them hope." Caroline can't help but think about her nephew and daughter. She doesn't want the two of them to experience what it's like during a war or the aftermath of it. This is why she was so against Dean becoming a soldier. Yet, she has come to see in these last few days how strong Dean's desire to not only protect humanity but also the monsters in and out of Artemia that just want a normal life.

"That's right. It just will become crazy with my duties as a leader and the headmaster of Acacia Academy. Though, now that you're back, we can put you back into the helm once ag-"

"Chandler, I'm... I'm not going back to that position right now. So much has happened in the last few days, I am not in the space to go back now. Everything I blindly believed in has been shaken, and I can't hold that responsibility right now. I'm sorry." Caroline looks up to the lights as she feels tears welling up in her eyes. Now that she's here, she once again has a chance to process the death of Sasha and all the things such a kind monster did for her. Not only Sasha, but Droogwyn, who helped assure that Zaleia was safe and didn't die in her womb.

"Caroline, what happened out there to you? Did Amon-"

"No! No, of course not. He was cruel and rude, but he didn't get a chance to go... to hurt me... like that..." Caroline is unable to say the word without it filling her with shame and sorrow. The sadness she feels for Sasha, who did have to put up with assault until her final breath.

"Did someone protect you?" Chandler finally questions Caroline. She finally looks to Chandler.

"Yes, a young siren did. She took care of all the women who are trapped in Amon's home. Sasha... her name is... was Sasha." Chandler gets up from his chair and reaches across Caroline to place his hand to her shoulder. She jumps and looks up at Chandler. Her brow furrows as she once again feels like a child when their mother had passed, and Caroline was unable to process her feelings until it was just the two of them after the funeral.

"Go on. It's only us, Carol." Chandler says gently. Caroline's eyes fill even more, and she knows that her tears are going to spill over. She drops her head to his stomach and wraps her arms around his waist. Chandler brings his other hand over to place it on top of her head.

The pair of siblings silently embrace. The only sound coming from Caroline's controlled sobs and sniffles. Chandler reaches for tissues beside her bed and hands it over to her.

~0~

Marax finally reaches the home of Amon. He doesn't get up the steps before the front door is opened. He watches a group of women in different states of withdrawal. They all are unwell.

"Sasha... did she fall asleep?" The young woman that had helped Sasha before steps up. Marax looks at all the women and shakes his head. The young woman walks up to them and reaches out to touch Sasha's ice-cold face.

"Ilana... that's your name, right?" The young woman looks at Marax cautiously, not sure whether to say something or not.

"I spoke with Sasha for a bit. She sensed that she may not come back alive for going out of her way to help humans. She helped without regret. All she has ever done was take care of others." Ilana stares at Sasha's peaceful expression. She leans in to kiss her cheek.

Marax stays quiet as he sees blood roll down Ilana's cheeks. It doesn't take long before sobbing and wails of despair start to resound. Whether it's for Sasha or themselves as they have lost their shield that took all of Amon's abuse. Only Ilana is crying without a sound. Her focus was completely on Sasha.

"What shall we do with her? Where do you want to bury her?" Marax finally asks. Ilana wipes the blood from her cheeks.

"No, let's take her back to the ocean. She couldn't go back alive, but at least it could be her final resting place." Ilana suggests. Marax nods, going with what she says. Ilana takes a breath and goes back to the group of crying women.

"Shut up, all of you!" Ilana calls out as their wails make her headache feel worse. The women all flinch and quiet down enough to where only their sniffles remain. "We did nothing for Sasha when she was alive. The least we can do is get it together, prepare her body, and send her off into the sea."

"But Master Amon-"

"He won't be a bother for a while. The humans put him in an iron barrier, so he can't get out unless someone removes a nail. I think for now... we can keep quiet and give everyone a chance to rebuild." Marax suggests. The women all look at each other and then to Ilana. The youngest member there for guidance.

"Okay, we won't say anything. But... I don't know how many will resist without needing their dose of Master Amon's toxins. I'm at my limit..." Ilana admits to Marax. He looks to Sasha and then towards all the fidgety women.

"Alright, I'll talk to Juliette. We'll help you ladies get things together. We'll help you get aid for you addic-"

"We don't need help with that!" Ilana snaps at Marax. He doesn't react as he realizes this is part of her coming down from the toxins. All these women are going to be horribly ill in some variation without Sasha to help them or anyone else, for that matter. Marax can't help but wonder how she managed the entire place all alone.

"I'm sorry. For now, we'll help with getting Sasha to the ocean. We'll see what we can do about Master Amon's toxin." Marax relents for now on something simple as he wants to see his family as soon as possible. "I'll bring the cart so we can take a prepared Sasha to the ocean." Some of the taller women come over and take Sasha from him. They are startled at how limp some body parts are.

"Be careful, her bones are broken... she was crushed. I'm assuming her bones punctured some important organs." Marax does try not to give too much descriptive detail about what happened to Sasha. Ilana watches the women take Sasha inside. The others follow behind them.

"Was it Master Amon that killed her?" Ilana speaks what she was thinking as soon as he brought up how she was killed. Marax looks to the young ghoul, and then he nods. Ilana doesn't show anything in her expression before she nods as well. Without another words she heads inside. Marax lets a long sigh escape him before he quickly makes his way towards the city entrance. He can only hope that his wife and son didn't get on the boats. He's sure that his son put up a bit of a fuss and may be holding things back for them.

"Hey! Hey, someone better hurry up and come find me!" Amon yells out as loudly as he can. There is only silence from the usually bustling city. Especially when it turns night. Now he can't hear anything. "Come on! People can't be all dead! I gotta get back at those damned humans! That damn ugly shadow man and the two color eyed bastard that put me in here! It's his fault! It's all his fault that Sasha broke!" He whines out to no one. Everyone is busy on the other side of the mountain, and he is stuck in the barrier of iron nails. Dean made it impossible for Amon to grow bigger than the trees around him with how much space he made with the barrier.

"Huh, so Dean did this. Good for him. That's why I love him so." Amon turns abruptly as he hears an unfamiliar woman's voice. He gags and chokes as silver collar clamps around his neck. His small fingers try to dig at the collar so he can pry it off. "Don't pry that off, disgusting pervert. You owe me a doggy." Serena Bathory forms from a cloud of glowing pink butterflies. She tosses back her long pink hair as she looks down on Amon with disdain.

"Old bat la- guh!" Serena pulls on a chain that tightens the collar around Amon. He drops to his knees as he tries to catch his breath. Serena walks up to him and slams her shoe into his face, sending him flying back as well as loosening some of the tightness from the collar. Amon coughs as he tries to catch his breath.

"Serena Bathory, your new master, filthy ghoul. You really messed things up for me. Here, I was patiently waiting for my brilliant plan to masterfully come to life. Yet, you just had to put those damned humans on high alert. They are going to be prepared for attacks now. IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" Serena screams as she pulls Amon back and starts to kick at him. He is unable to defend himself as his magic is not working. It is cut off, so he is at the mercy of a furious vampire queen.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Stop! I'm sorry!" Amon pleads when Serena grows tired from kicking at him. He shamelessly bows, his nose nearly touching the dirt beneath them. Serena lifts her foot up and stomps it on the back of Amon's head, causing it to slam into the dirt.

"Oh, you're going to be sorry, pervert." Serena's scowl drops, and she crouches down, using the chain to lift up Amon's beaten face. She smiles, looking at his crooked nose as he snivels like a child. "Amon Bedivere, as of today, the ghouls, the goblins, the sirens, and the mermaids will become subspecies of the vampires. Do you understand? If you don't want to suffer and live a cruel life... I suggest you take my act of mercy." Serena's fangs extend as she looks down at him with her glowing golden-brown eyes. Black veins start to protrude from her temples and forehead.

"Yesyesyes! Yes, of course, my queen! Long live, Lady Serena Bathory! I'm your servant!" Amon bows his head and goes to kiss Serena's shoes. She stands up and kicks his face, sending him flying towards the barrier. He screams as he feels the burning on his back before Serena drags him back.

"Did you hear that, citizens of the goblin city? I, Serena Bathory, from this day forward, will be your eternal monarch. I can give you all a much better life than this pig ever could. This city and its people will stand tall as long as you all fight for me." Amon writhes in pain. The citizens that had boarded the boats listen to Serena's voice projecting from pink butterflies. Vampire and shifters invaded all three boats to have Serena's message be heard.

"Bow before your new queen!" The two remaining captains of Serena's soldiers order the goblins and ghouls. No one speaks out as one by one they all bow down to their new ruler. Some truly do hope that Serena will be a much better choice than Amon ever was.

"Long live, Queen Serena Bathory!" Everyone calls out. The soldiers all smile as they look down at their new subspecies members. One of the captains walks towards the water and looks over the edge of the boat.

"I hope you heard that, fish people. You're under Lady Bathory's command now." The vampire woman calls out into the ocean. A couple of mermaids pop their heads out of the water, then nod before sinking down again to pass the word around to the merfolks.

Serena smiles as she hears this. Amon spits out blood as he sees that Serena humiliated him in front of everyone. No one could see how she handled him, but they heard it all. They heard him grovel at her feet. She takes in a breath.

"Return to your beloved city, my subjects! I have made sure that your former master did not bring down your city. With my power and influence we can make your city better! It won't be destroyed by this man-baby." Serena giggles as she announces this to her new subjects. She calls back her butterflies and walks towards one of the iron nails, dragging Amon along as he tries to catch his footing. She picks it up, breaking the barrier.

"Well, doggy, shall we go to my new castle in the goblin city?" Serena looks back at Amon as she waves the iron nail. Amon gulps and nods. Serena smiles satisfied before pink butterflies surround them, and they fly over towards Amon's large property. Serena looks out at the manor and tilts her head.

"This could be better. This is coming down." Serena says as she scrutinizes the area.

"Whoa, wait, what about my women?!" He flinches as Serena casts a side glance at him. Her gaze is ice cold. He gulps and looks down to the floor.

"Huh?! Ilana! Look, is that... Master Amon?!" Ilana puts the makeup she was putting on Sasha. She rushes to the window, her eyes widen as she sees the condition he is in. She has only heard about someone with this appearance, but she looks much older than what was described to her.

"It can't be... is that Serena Bathory?" Ilana thinks to herself. The women crowded around the three windows in the room they were preparing Sasha in. No one is sure of what to do with the situation. They all jump startled as Serena looks up at the windows they all look from. Serena smiles and tilts her head.

"They're my women now." Serena says as she pulls Amon along to the front door. A gust of wind makes the door open, and all the windows open up. The women scream at the sudden action that happened out of nowhere and back away. Amon grunts and struggles to follow Serena along in his injured state.

Marax pauses at the docks as he sees the boats returning. He is confused but waits. As the boats get closer. All this takes about an hour before people come off silently. Marax's eyes widen as he sees wolves standing on their hind legs walking behind the people. Vampire soldiers also walk among them.

"Who are you?!" A vampire soldier questions Marax as they see him standing there.

"Wait! Wait, he's my husband! He will follow along and also bow down to Queen Serena!" Juliette pushes past some people, pulling her son along. Marax is confused by what is going on. He puts his arms out for his wife and son and holds them. The vampire soldier glares suspiciously.

"Why did you not flee with your family?" The vampire questions. Marax puts his wife and son behind him.

"I was looking for stragglers, sir. Master Amon had women locked up in his manor... they decided not to flee, so I came to reunite with my family after failing to convince them." Marax says cautiously. Juliette steps beside him and holds onto his arm.

"But it looks like our Queen saved us from our former so-called master. There was nothing to worry about, and we can go home now. I'll update him on everything. Please let us go." Juliette pleads with the vampire guard. He loses interest and motions for them to leave. The pair bow and leave with their son in tow. They walk in silence until they feel they're far enough into the city to be able to talk.

"Dad, you won't believe how crazy things got." Marsh finally speaks up. Marax looks to the teenager, waiting to see what he has to say. Juliette was not as amazed as Marsh was at what happened while they were on the boat. "I didn't want to get on the boat without you, but mom made me. We got pretty far into the ocean before a bunch of shadowy animals landed on the boats. Some of them were carrying the bipedal shifters. There were all these pink butterflies, too. Before we knew it, they gathered us all up, and then Serena Bathory's voice came through, and so did Amon's, and she kicked his a-"

"Marsh!" Juliette scolds him.

"Butt... and he gave up to be her servant. And now we're all subspecies of the vampires... even the ghouls. They have now lost their status as a dominating species. She ordered us back into the city and will help us rebuild as long as we serve her." Marsh finishes explaining. Marax listened silently, a frown on his face. He looks over to Juliette, who confirms everything with a simple nod.

"Juliette, my love, the ladies at Mas... um Amon's place needs help. I'm sorry, Sasha is gone." Juliette stops walking as she takes in what her husband just said. Marax pauses and looks over at his wife. Her expression fills with sorrow.

"I'll go help them. Let's gather some things." They stop in front of their home and enter to get their things together.

"What does that mean? How did she die, dad?" Marsh questions as they all gather back in the living room of their home. Marax feels his stomach swirl as he recalls the way that Sasha was killed before his eyes. He shakes his head, not wanting Marsh to visualize that scene. Nor does he want to upset his wife further.

"I'm sorry, I don't know." He lies to his son. Marax gets them all to head out. They go get their cart so they can transport Sasha on it. He hopes they will be let out by the new guards in order to give Sasha a proper send-off back to the ocean where she had been taken from when she was eighteen.

"Oh dear... the place is already surrounded by shifters. I don't know if they'll let us in." Juliette makes Marax stop pulling the cart with his magic. Marsh stands up when it stops and tries to look at what is happening at Amon's manor. He does see the shifters patrolling around the manor as well as others taking out things from inside.

"They're already cleaning it out." Marsh mentions.

"We must. It truly is a filthy place." Juliette and Marax turn back abruptly as they hear Serena. Marsh is startled by her sudden appearance right next to him. His shift causes him to topple back. Serena catches his wrist and ensures he doesn't fall and is able to balance himself again. Both parents are careful not to react to ensure they don't upset Serena. Marsh gulps as he looks at the woman, not that much older than him.

"My ladies inside mentioned you all would be coming by to help prepare a body. It seems that terrible little ghoul killed someone precious to them. I'm so sorry about your loss. Come in and do what you must. I will allow passage for you all to do what you must." Serena releases Marsh and allows him to jump off the cart to cling to his mother. Juliette holds her son tightly. The parents both bow their heads.

"Thank you, Queen Serena. You are very kind." Marax says. Serena crouches down and reaches out to pull off the mask on Marax. She tosses it aside.

"The men of this city no longer have to hide their faces. I will not be doing things as Amon has. My reign will be a generous one. Now, go on, these butterflies are your passage to do as you need to do for your friend." Serena smiles, and her body morphs until she's a burst of pink butterflies that fly back to the manor.

The family finally feels like they can breathe as Serena leaves. They also try not to say anything as a couple butterflies fly over them. Marax helps Marsh and Juliette onto the cart as they recover the strength in their trembling legs. Marax focuses his magic to continue into the manor. No one gets in their way as they see the butterflies hovering around them.

Ilana meets the family at the door, and her face is unnerved as well. She keeps conversation to the topic of Sasha without saying anything suspicious over what everyone is feeling with the sudden shift in power. They're all expected to just change the life they knew.

"Here... we've washed her, gotten her body as normal as possible, and tried to apply makeup to leave some resemblance of Sasha..." Ilana whispers softly. Juliette's voice catches in her throat, so all she can do is nod.

Marax hands Juliette the bag with the dress. Ilana stares at the dress that appears like sea foam. It is long and would move around with the waves beautifully.

Marax and Marsh are made to wait outside the room as the women all finish preparing Sasha. Marsh looks to his father's sad expression.

"Dad... where is Sasha going to go? Just... sinking into the ocean?" Marsh wonders as he doesn't know very much about sirens. Marax puts an arm around his son's shoulders to comfort himself more so than the young teen.

"We'll call to the merfolks, and they'll take her to the siren burial ground. Unlike the merfolk, her body will remain for a while. Her spirit will finally return to the ocean." Marax tries not to be descriptive to what will happen under the ocean. Marsh can only nod and sigh.

"Dad... someone's coming." Marsh whispers as he sees two wolf shifters coming over with what looks like a long, thick board. Marax puts his son behind him as he waits for them to step closer. They don't say a word as they put the board against the wall. The ends have handles that appear to be used for two people to carry something on top.

No one says a thing as they leave. Marax realizes that will help them carry Sasha's so the broken limbs don't flop around. Not that it would completely do that as her body stiffens due to the rigor.

"Juliette, we have something to carry Sasha on to the cart." Marax knocks on the door. Juliette opens the door and looks to where Marax points. She nods, and then the group of adults work together to get Sasha on as well as getting the proper people to carry her out.

"You're showing such generosity, my lady." The vampire captain says as she stands at the foot of Serena's new throne. Serena smiles as she leans over to rest her elbow on one of the arm rests.

"Of course, it doesn't take much to turn the people to my favor. Simple acts are all it will take. Cause my new doggy here did such a good job making his own people and subspecies hate him." Serena turns her head over towards Amon as he struggles to pull himself up to keep the collar on his neck from choking him. A soft giggle escapes her as she turns back over to the wolf captain that is pulling his chain up and down.

"Alright, Nyssa, set him down." The wolf captain drops Amon back down to the ground. He falls on his side, breathing shallowly. "Oh, the poor pervert has passed out. Anyway, Morgana, Nyssa, he left me without my fuzzy doggy, Valkhar. A very naughty pawn interfered and killed my doggy. It was all Amon's fault because he couldn't help himself." Serena frowns annoyed for a moment.

"Do you seek a captain replacement?" Morgana questions as she kneels before Serena. Her long dark blue hair spills over her shoulders. Her golden-brown gaze raises to look at Serena's matching eyes.

"Bingo, my dear. Now that we have an open spot and have a rapport to build up among this conquered society... I shall entrust the two of you to find a worthy goblin. The ghouls had their time. It's time for the goblins to have fun." Serena sighs content as she looks to the women. Morgana and Nyssa look at each other. A glint of challenge. They wish to be the one to find Serena's new captain.

"Yes, your highness. Leave us to find a strong goblin to replace Valkhar." They respond in unison. Serena nods content. The group all looked back as her loyal guards brought up a dazed human woman.

"You're dismissed, captains. It's time for me to feast." Serena's fangs elongate as she says this. The two women pound their chest once and then head out to leave Serena to eat.

~0~
"Here we are, before the ocean." Ilana says to Sasha's body. The women with tear filled eyes look out at the beautiful water. They take in the salty breeze. "You get to go home now."

The group helps bring down the board where Sasha's body lies. They carefully carry her to the ocean edge.

"Should we say something?" Marsh whispers to his mother. She puts her arms around him as she looks over to the other women that are gathered around Sasha.

"No, just speak within your heart, son. Let these women have their moment." She says with a soft smile. Juliette strokes his sparkling hair gently before they both silently pray for Sasha.

"Sasha... we couldn't do anything for you while you were alive. I'm... sorry, but I think I know what I can do to keep your legacy alive." Ilana smiles, and it finally shows in her eyes as she looks down at Sasha. Ilana leans down to kiss her forehead.

The women all look to Ilana as they see a strength born within her. It makes their own hearts swell. The women all apologize one by one as they also decide to support Ilana in whatever has begun to grow in her young heart.

They all band together to push the board into the ocean. Marax uses wind to push her far enough to keep her from coming back to shore. They watch it get far before it stops.

"What happened?!" Marsh questions concerned as she just stops.

"It's okay. Now look." Juliette points out to the water as some sirens come up and bring down Sasha's body under the ocean. The women all embrace each other as they can say goodbye for the last time.

"What will we do now, Ilana?" One of them questions.

"Go home for now. We have to get clean. For not only Sasha, but ourselves. We get to live thanks to Sasha." Ilana turns to the group with her newfound smile. Juliette walks up next to Marax as they look at the group of women.

"Please, let us find you ladies' help. It will be a difficult journey, and some of you may fall back to old habits. This time, you will have support, though. I promise." Juliette offers the women. Ilana walks up and takes Juliette's hand.

"Thank you."

~0~
"That is everything that happened while I was conscious, my pharaoh... I swear!" Ilyas looks down on the spirit that was brought back by the ba. It now rests at the head of his intricately designed golden throne. He taps his fingers on the arm of his throne.

"I failed you, I know I didn't get back to report my findings on the Holy Horn. Truly-"

"Silence." Ilyas's voice booms in spite of him being calm. The spirit flinches, awaiting to hear what the Pharoah has to say. "I am no fool, I expected either one of those fools to make a move when I let them know about my plan. Serena is craftier, so Amon was the one who took the bait. Things are finally going according to plan again."

Ilyas reaches for his golden, bejeweled staff and points it at the spirit. They feel panicked as they realize that Ilyas is going to harm them. They are frozen in fear as Ilyas sends down a blast of power. The spirit ends up flying back and landing in a pool of wailing souls. They pull it inside as it screams for mercy.

A pair of mummy women make their way into his throne room. They completely ignore the spirit as it's screams fade. They bow to Ilyas.

"My Pharaoh! We have gotten word from the spirits that Serena Bathory has conquered over the ghoul master's lair. She has made the goblins, ghouls, mermaids, and sirens her subspecies." One of the twins says. She looks up at the masked man with her single green eye. The left one is the only one exposed.

"I see. Those brats just can't help but stir trouble to the plans we had prepared to conquer the simple humans. Was Amon able to get the Holy Horn?" Ilyas wonders.

"No, it appears none of his spies have gotten to the correct place. The only place they have no access to is the military academy. Which we deduced is the location of the Holy Horn." The twin woman with her exposed right eye speaks up this time. Ilyas nods and looks to the ba spirit.

"Find me useful spirits from the goblin city. I need spies to further observe Serena Bathory." The ba spreads their wings and takes to the skies. It seems to disappear as it travels through the spirit realm.

"My Pharaoh... there is also news from the human stronghold Artemia." The twins mention as they rise as they unwrap some of their bandages from around their arms.

"Speak." He firmly orders. The twins turn to each other, and their wraps weave into an oval shape. The inside seems to create a mirror that warps as it seems to be finding an image.

"The humans have declared this woman as the wielder of the Holy Sword. This woman will be the one who will face you in battle." The image focuses, and it shows Diana as she is unable to sleep. She turns from side to side before giving up and sitting on the edge of the cot.

Ilyas stares at the oblivious young woman. He stares, feeling like he has seen her before, which he has never taken notice of anyone else before in a meaningful way other than his wife and unborn baby.

"This?" He finally says unimpressed as he gives up, trying to remember where he's seen her. The mummy twins retract their bandages back around their wrists and kneel before Ilyas again.

"Yes... this woman is their candidate. Shall we begin to hunt down their candidate or continue the search for the Holy Sword?" They ask him, ready to accept any order he gives the two of them. Ilyas sighs and sits back to think.

"I suppose both ideas are wonderful. I can have some entertainment as we break her spirit and turn her into our ally once she's dead and broken." Ilyas sounds like he's smiling under his mask. He is thrilled to get to torture someone alive and who is the hope of humanity to stop him. "Very well, it's time to make our move and hunt down this woman. Bring her to our side. She must be powerful if she is to face me."

The twins rise and bow their heads. "Yes, my Pharaoh!" Both women exclaim as they prepare to execute his orders. Ilyas leaves the plan making to the two women. He would stand out far too much if he ever decided to set foot in Artemia.

Ilyas rises as the women leave his throne room. He walks behind the throne to a door that leads down to the living space that he has for himself and his wife. His demeanor changes as he walks through the threshold.

"Falla, how are you both feeling?" Ilyas removes his mask as his wife requested and steps up to the woman that was reading a book to her small baby bump. She closes the book and smiles over at Ilyas.

"Fine, we were just missing you, my love." Falla reaches her arms out to him. Ilyas walks up to his wife and lifts her up to kiss her. She gently holds his face as she looks into his eyes.

"I'm here now. So much is happening right now that it feels like I'm not seeing you enough. Look at this. Our little one has made your belly grow more in these last few weeks." Ilyas compliments as he raises Falla higher to kiss her belly.

Falla hugs his head. "My love... I saw a brief vision... a woman with a sword... is it her?" Ilyas lowers Falla to look at her concerned gaze.

"They have their candidate for the Holy Sword. It is indeed a young woman. But do not fear. This vision could be a good thing. I will bring that woman to our side and finally devestate the hope of the humans." Ilyas assures his wife. She looks on at him and reaches out to kiss him again.

"Many blessings from the Great God of Death." Falla presses their foreheads together. A soft glow passes through her hazel eyes. Ilyas closes his eyes to accept her blessing.

"Now, it's our turn to change the tides. The foolish Amon tried to make his move and failed. I will not." Ilyas swear to her and himself. Falla smiles and nods in agreement. She rubs her belly gently as she feels a swirl.

"Our turn, my Pharaoh."